Occupational Therapy Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Degree
In RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate you will prepare to become a highly competent practitioner with the hands-on experience and tech skills needed to design and develop innovative occupational therapy interventions.
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Best Health Care Jobs: Occupational Therapist
Overview for Occupational Therapy OTD
Why Study RIT’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate
Study at the Intersection of Health Care and Tech: The program blends a traditional occupational therapy curriculum with technological innovations to create a clinical doctoral degree that prepares you to leverage technology for your future practice, fostering creative problem-solving and forward-thinking approaches.
Technology Integration: Immerse yourself in the latest tech–from augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), tele-rehabilitation, and bionic rehabilitation–and learn how to adapt it to your occupational therapy practice.
Acquire Impressive Hands-On Experiences: Engage in diverse clinical opportunities where you can apply your learning through unique labs, projects, initiatives, and hands-on consultancy experiences, setting you apart as a leader in the field.
Program pending New York State approval
Please note that this program is pending New York State Education Department approval and is expected to launch in Summer 2025. At this time, we are not accepting applications.
Imagine blending the compassion of health care with the precision of cutting-edge technology. In RIT’s entry-level occupational therapy doctorate degree program, you’ll learn on an innovative, tech-infused campus that connects you to a range of exciting opportunities that can influence advanced occupational therapy interventions, including virtual reality for immersive rehabilitation, 3D printing for custom adaptive devices, and apps that gamify therapy. RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate degree equips you with the skills to transform patients’ lives through innovative therapeutic techniques and advanced technological tools.
Beyond mastering technology, you will be trained to think differently, incorporating principles of innovation and design into your approach. You will develop a unique perspective that combines empathy with creative problem-solving, allowing you to create meaningful, personalized solutions for your patients. RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate degree equips you with the skills to transform patients’ lives through innovative therapeutic techniques and advanced technological tools, all while fostering a compassionate and holistic approach to care
Why RIT: A Tech-Infused Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program
RIT has outstanding engineering, bioengineering, and computing programs that support the incorporation of technology into our occupational therapy doctorate program. With a unique focus on the application of technologies in occupational therapy and rehabilitation, such as tele-health, tele-rehabilitation, bionic rehabilitation, and the application AR/VR in occupational therapy, RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate program leverages the strengths of a nationally ranked, tech-focused university to provide a distinctive occupational therapy program. You’ll graduate as a highly competent occupational therapist and as a professional who is skilled in using the latest technological advances to improve patient care.
The goals of RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate program are to:
- Prepare highly qualified occupational therapists who can confidently serve in occupational therapy practice locally, regionally and beyond to overcome the shortage of occupational therapy health care services.
- Prepare innovative practitioners who can identify, formulate, and solve complex clinical problems by applying knowledge of occupational therapy, technology, and evidence-based practice.
- Prepare occupational therapy administrators and leaders in the growing and evolving health care system.
RIT’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program
RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate is a three-year, nine consecutive semester (six academic year semesters and three summer semesters), full-time graduate program. It is designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and clinical experience required to become a competent and compassionate occupational therapist. The curriculum combines classroom instruction, laboratory work, and extensive clinical training to prepare you for an occupational therapy career. It also integrates technology seamlessly into your course work so that you are well-positioned to lead the field and prepared for the future of occupational therapy.
Occupational Therapy Curriculum
Occupational Therapy Courses: RIT’s occupational therapy doctoral program is designed to prepare you to become a licensed occupational therapist. Occupational therapists are health care professionals who focus on helping people participate in the meaningful activities they need and want to do. The uniqueness of RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate program is its incorporation of technology. By incorporating aspects of RIT’s outstanding biomedical engineering, computing, and health care degrees, you will experience how the integration of technology into occupational therapy, tele-rehabilitation, bionic rehabilitation, and the application of AR/VR in occupational therapy and rehabilitation.
Clinical Education and Practice: A significant portion of the occupational therapy doctorate program is dedicated to clinical education and practice. You will participate in multiple fieldwork experiences in various care settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, schools, community agencies, and skilled nursing facilities. These opportunities allow you to apply your knowledge in real-world situations, where you will develop clinical reasoning skills while you work directly with patients under the supervision of licensed occupational therapists.
Licensure and Certification: Upon successful completion of RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate, you will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination, which is required to practice as a licensed occupational therapist in the United States. (Please note: Some states might have additional licensure requirements.)
Doctoral Capstone Experience: RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate program includes a 14-week doctoral capstone experience. This hands-on, highly specialized experience provides an opportunity for you to explore an area of occupational therapy in an in-depth, meaningful way. Some examples of a capstone experience can include a pilot study that has a clinical component to it, an analysis of policy and advocacy to influence federal funding or policy change, or serving as a consultant on a design team that is working to solve a clinically related, patient-centered problem. RIT’s capstone experience is offered only at the doctoral level, which sets RIT occupational therapy students apart from candidates with a master’s degree in the field.
Occupational Therapy Careers
As a graduate of RIT’s occupational therapy doctorate program, you will be prepared to pursue a variety of career paths in the field of occupational therapy. You may choose to work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, sports medicine facilities, schools, community health organizations, mental health facilities, nursing homes, home health care, early intervention programs, or in private practice. Occupational therapists collaborate with other health care professionals to provide comprehensive care to individuals of all ages with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary, mental health, sensory processing, and other health or developmental conditions. Occupational therapists also work in non-traditional settings such as corporate wellness programs, assistive technology development, and advocacy organizations, helping to improve the quality of life and functional independence of diverse populations.
Program Outcomes
The program outcomes data will be listed in this location in the future once it is available.
Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Occupational Therapy OTD
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
The following curriculum chart is the proposed course work that was sent to the New York State Department of Education for approval. This is tentative curriculum until New York state approves the occupational therapy doctorate program.
Admissions and Financial Aid
This program is available on-campus only.
| Offered | Admit Term(s) | Application Deadline | STEM Designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full‑time | Fall | January 15 priority deadline; rolling thereafter | No |
Full-time study is 9+ semester credit hours. International students requiring a visa to study at the RIT Rochester campus must study full‑time.
Application Details
To be considered for admission to the Occupational Therapy OTD program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
- Complete a graduate application.
- Submit copies of official transcript(s) (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work, including any transfer credit earned.
- Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college.
- A recommended minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent).
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
- Complete an on-campus interview.
- Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Entrance exam requirements: None
- Submit one writing sample.
- Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required. Details are below.
English Language Test Scores
International applicants whose native language is not English must submit one of the following official English language test scores. Some international applicants may be considered for an English test requirement waiver.
| TOEFL | IELTS | PTE Academic |
|---|---|---|
| 94 | 7.0 | 66 |
International students below the minimum requirement may be considered for conditional admission. Deaf and hard-of-hearing test takers with significant hearing loss do not need to take the listening and speaking sections for the TOEFL and IELTS. Each program requires balanced sub-scores when determining an applicant’s need for additional English language courses.
How to Apply Start or Manage Your Application
Cost and Financial Aid
An RIT graduate degree is an investment with lifelong returns.
Summary of Costs
- RIT tuition and student fees
- Refund policy for RIT tuition and student fees
- Additional occupational therapy program costs and fees apply as shown in table below.
| Current Cost | OTD Program 2025 Fall Semester |
OTD Program 2025 Spring Semester |
OTD Program 2025 Summer Semester |
OTD Program 2025-26 Academic Year |
Total Cost of Program (3-year program, 2025‑28) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $18,262 | $18,262 | $6,089 | $42,977 | $128,931 |
| Student Fees | $950 | $0 | $750 | $1,700 | $5,100 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,200 | $1,200 | $800 | $3,200 | $9,600 |
| Loan Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Distance Ed Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $20,412 | $19,826 | $7,639 | $47,877 | $143,631 |
Additional Information
Prerequisites
Applicants must complete all prerequisite courses (24 credit hours) and received a minimum grade of “B” in each of the following courses:
- Elementary Statistics (3 credit hours)
- Anatomy and Physiology I with labs (4 credit hours)
- Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (4 credit hours)
- Human Growth and Development (3 credit hours)
- General Psychology (3 credit hours)
- Anthropology/Sociology (3 credit hours)
- Lab Science (Physics or Chemistry, 4 credit hours)
Accreditation
The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-6611 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.
The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
For further information on these limitations, students may contact NBCOT at:
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
One Bank Street, Suite 300
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 990-7979
Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork and an individual 14-week capstone experience within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all course work, Level II fieldwork, and preparatory activities defined in 2023 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3.